First Naval Battle of the Atlantic (Bismarck Dominates Sea Lanes)
The First Naval Battle of the Atlantic, also known as the last battle of the aircraft carrier HMS ''Ark Royal'' was a naval engagement that took place in the Atlantic Ocean approximately 300 nmi (350 mi; 560 km) west of Brest, France, on 26–27 May 1941. On 24 May, the German ''Kriegsmarine'''s High Seas Fleet were attacked by warships of the British Royal Navy in the Battle of the Denmark Strait. The German ''Bismarck''-class battleships ''Bismarck'' and ''Tirpitz'', the ''Scharnhorst''-class battleships ''Scharnhorst'' and ''Gneisenau'', the ''L 20 α''-class battleship ''L 20 α'', and the ''Admiral Hipper''-class heavy cruiser ''Prinz Eugen'' engaged the British battleships [[HMS N3 (Bismarck Dominates Sea Lanes)|HMS N3]] and [[HMS Prince of Wales (53) (Bismarck Dominates Sea Lanes)|HMS Prince of Wales]] and the battlecruiser [[HMS Hood (51) (Bismarck Dominates Sea Lanes)|HMS Hood]], as well as the super battlecruiser [[HMS Incomparable (Bismarck Dominates Sea Lanes)|HMS Incomparable]] (the largest and heaviest battlecruiser in the world). They were later joined by the two German ''H''-class super battleships ''Führer'' and ''Bismarck II'', the largest. heaviest and most powerful battleships in the world, which made their debut in battle, and also the three British ''Admiral''-class battlecruisers [[HMS Anson (52) (Bismarck Dominates Sea Lanes)|HMS Anson]], [[HMS Howe (53) (Bismarck Dominates Sea Lanes)|HMS Howe]] and [[HMS Rodney (54) (Bismarck Dominates Sea Lanes)|HMS Rodney]]'' later joined late in the battle. Fewer than 10 minutes after the British opened fire, a shell from ''Bismarck struck HMS Hood near her aft ammunition magazines. Soon afterwards, HMS Hood exploded and sank within three minutes, with 1,415 killed. Prince of Wales and N3 continued to exchange fire with Bismarck and her sister ship Tirpitz but Prince of Wales suffered serious malfunctions in her main armament as the British battleship had not fully worked up after only being completed in late March 1941 and soon was struck by several shells from Bismarck and Tirpitz. She sank some minutes later with the loss of all 1,521 of her crew. The German battleships Scharnhorst and Gneisenau exchanged fire with N3, later joined by Bismarck and Tirpitz after the destruction of Hood and the Prince of Wales. The combined firepower of all four German battleships proved to be too much for N3, who were soon struck with several shells from Scharnhorst, Gneisenau and Tirpitz. The shells from the three German battleships soon caused N3 to capsize and sank with the loss of all 1,800 of her crew. Soon the super battleships ''Führer'' and ''Bismarck II'', the world's largest, heaviest and most powerful battleships had entered the area to join the High Seas Fleet. Führer, Bismarck II and the heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen would exchange fire with Incomparable, Führer and Bismarck II with their eight 50.8 cm (20.0 in) guns in four twin turrets. Incomparable was also armed with 50.8 cm (20.0 in) guns, but with six 50.8 cm (20.0 in) guns in three twin turrets compared to Führer' and Bismarck II's eight 50.8 cm (20.0 in) guns in four twin turrets. This, combined with the firepower of heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen destroyed Incomparable with ease as her armor were lightly protected. Incomparable, the world's largest and heaviest battlecruiser would sink with the loss of her crew of 2,500. On 26 May, the German High Seas Fleet searched for the British aircraft carrier [[HMS Ark Royal (91) (Bismarck Dominates Sea Lanes)|HMS Ark Royal]], which was reported to have participated in the attack on the High Seas Fleet in the Battle of the Denmark Strait but never arrived. The Germans were determined to hunt down and sink the aircraft carrier before it could become a serious threat to the Kriegsmarine. In order to speed up its hunt, the German ''H''-class super-heavy aircraft carrier ''Führer'' (which had just been completed in early May 1941) was deployed for the very first time, along with several U-Boats. The hunt for HMS Ark Royal proved to be perfect for Führer to act as its sea trials. The next day, HMS Ark Royal was finally discovered about 300 nmi (350 mi; 560 km) from the nearest naval base, which was in Brest, Reichskommissariat Belgien-Nordfrankreich. Führer, escorted by Bismarck, Tirpitz, Scharnhorst, Gneisenau and Prinz Eugen were immediately sent to the discovered position where they found HMS Ark Royal and attacked her. HMS Ark Royal was no match for the German battleships and extremely vulnerable, as she was unprotected and soon turned into an burning inferno and later sank with the loss of 1,580. The loss of HMS Ark Royal affected British morale. The loss of HMS Ark Royal shocked the Royal Navy, as they had underestimated the ever-growing Kriegsmarine.